The Little Farmer Feels Grand

author’s note:

I have met the space alien and he is me.


THE LITTLE FARMER FEELS GRAND

I claimed this land

then built a house and fence
that could withstand
the ferocity of the seasons

and under a sky, deep and wide
sowed a crop.

So I felt quite satisfied with myself
when I sat down to rest
but then

I began to sense a presence
pervading this broad valley.

Later that night I woke in the dark
to hear this message whispered:

you own nothing here—

you are a visitor, a stranger

allowed to take for a moment

then whisked away like a speck.

Though my ego felt wounded
I realized the truth of those words.
I was not mighty; I was a mite
supping on an indomitable creature.

I’d seen this farm as a monument
to my courage and endurance.
But after my passing
the elements would soon
erase all I’d done.

But I also knew:
if I stopped work—
if I abandoned this dot of earth
I would feel
even smaller than I felt now.

So I decided on this strategy:
during the long day
I would focus on the task at hand
and not let my eyes wander
toward those distant mountains—

not gaze across the sweep of this valley
to the horizon

and if I began to sense
that all-knowing presence
I’d shut down my awareness.

As a result of this tactic
my daily labor still seems meaningful.

But at twilight
when I’m done with chores
I sit down once more
and allow my perspective to stretch—
allow myself to again
feel the living presence.

Allow myself to remember
I’m nothing but wee alien visitor here.

An odd thought—a little disturbing
but at such moments
I regain my sense of wonder.

I never felt so grand
until I became
just a bit of airborne dust
living for a breath in a kingdom
of heaven and earth.

mythsteps · The Little Farmer Feels Grand

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